New Brewer Attempting Three Floyd's GumballHead

[flyguy0313]

Hello to my fellow brewers! I apologize in advance for being a newbie and if my terminology is a bit off, you will know why! I am a new brewer, and by new I have only brewed one 5 gal batch from a box kit. I am wanting to attempt pulling all the ingredients and try challenging myself, so I want to try to make a batch of Three Floyd's Gumball Head. I have Beersmith 2 on my macbook and have an AG recipe that I have converted to extract, I also have an extract recipe that I found on somewhere else on this forum, and finally I have another clone that was in AG for a 10-11 gal batch that I first converted to extract and then scaled it down to my equipment 2 gal brew pot and doing single fermentation, then going to be bottling. Also had a question about "Dry Hopping," what exactly is it, how is it done when you are going to be doing a single fermentation, is it even possible!? I am attaching the recipe's that I have from Beersmith. I appreciate all the help in advance, and apologize if my forum etiquette is a bit off, but I didn't know exactly where to put this thread, so I decided to add my own!

Cheers!
Austin

 

[HomebrewMTB]

General comments...When converting from all-grain to extract, it's important to understand what goes in to the extract. E.g. wheat extract is about 60% wheat and 40% 2-row barley. So for a wheat beer, you don't need any more pale malt extract because it's already in there. Second, simple is better especially while learning. Your goal should be making drinkable beer, not making an exact clone of a commercial beer. Pick the easiest recipe you can for what you want to do and work on your overall brewing process.

Specific comments...I would use two 3.3 lbs tubs of liquid wheat extract and one pound of dried wheat extract. This gives 1.051 in 5.5 gallons. Suggested hop schedule:

.25 oz at 60 min
.75 oz at 15 min
1 oz at 5 min
1 oz dry hop (or more)

Definitely use US-05 dry yeast but be sure rehydrate it.

For the dry hop, you can dry hop just fine in primary once fermentation is over (~ two weeks or more). Dry hopping is easy. You just dump the hops in the bucket/carboy. That's it. Let sit for another week and then you bottle.

 

[logan3825]

I would go with a hop schedule like this. This is what I have used for the American wheat I make. All Amarillo hops.

60m - 0.5oz 7.1%
15m - 1.5oz 7.1%
5m - 1.5oz 7.1%
2m - 1oz 7.1%
Dry Hop 1oz 7 days

I would also go with 6lb wheat LME and 1lb golden light DME. I use 8oz table sugar to dry tings out.

 

[flyguy0313]

Definitely use US-05 dry yeast but be sure rehydrate it.

Thanks much for the quick reply! Why this specific yeast and not the ones mentioned in the attachments? Just curious

 

[usfmikeb]

I don't see a yeast mentioned in the attachments, but every Gumballhead clone I've ever seen uses either Cali yeast or S05.

Also, have done a search of this site to look at other Gumballhead clones? There are definitely some threads.

 

[Calder]

Use half to a pound of table sugar in place of some of the extract. It will help lower the FG.

Lots of hops. Definately dry hop. Pellets are easier for dry hopping as thay drop to the bottom after about 10 days making it easier to bottle. Leaf hops stay floating, absorb lots of the beer, and clog the racking cane. leaf hops are good for dry hopping, but take a little extra effort.

Use a clean American yeast if you can, or use an English yeast at low temperature. S-05 is perfect (or 1056 or 001). I normally use PacMan, although I'm going to try a Gumballhead with Essex soon.

One of the recipes uses distilled water. Do NOT use it, distilled water has no minerals in it, which are essential for yeast health.

Wheat extract is usually 60/40 wheat/barley. It is OK to just use wheat extract, but you would be better trying to get a 50/50 ratio. To get this, you would use some light extract (Light/Extra light/Pilsner/Pale).